In the use of electrical connectors there is need to provide secured mechanical and electrical engagement between the electrical connector and a mateable electrical connector or other electrical device or equipment. Various latching techniques have been devised for use with electrical connectors in an effort to provide such secured engagement. One of the concerns in providing this secured engagement is the ease with which the connectors may be both attached to and detached from other devices. To satisfy this concern, connectors having latching mechanisms comprising pivotally supported latching arms that facilitate both ease of attachment and detachment have been developed. For example, latching structures of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,778 (issued on May 22, 1984) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,459 (issued on Feb. 26, 1985), both of these connectors being of the electrically shielded type for particular use in the data communications industry. While the pivotal latching arms, as shown in these patents, assist in the ease of attachment and detachment, there is no positive locking structure that maintains the connector in secured relation once connected to another connector or other electrical component. In an effort to compensate for this problem, a separate, external wedge is provided for subsequent attachment to the electrical connector in a manner to prevent the latching mechanism from separating in use.
In another known shielded electrical connector a latching structure is provided to not only facilitate the ease of attachment and detachment but also to provide a locking device while the connector is in use. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,494 (issued on Oct. 28, 1986) and assigned to the same Assignee as is the subject application, the latching mechanism includes a slidable actuator that moves a pivotal latching arm in a manner to control both attachment and detachment as well as to serve as a lock to provide secure engagement while the connector is in use. While it is advantageous to maintain some of the features of the known connectors and their latching mechanisms, it is also desirable to provide improvements thereto, considering both cost and ease of use.